Carol Eileen Larson

Carol peacefully entered the Kingdom of Heaven on August 19, 2011. She was born October 29, 1929 in Glenwood City, WI, as one of four children to Carl and Minnie (Ryan) Landberg. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in 1951 and teaching for several years in Beaver Dam, WI, she felt the allure of warmer weather in the desert southwest and discovered Tucson where she taught at Lizzie Brown and Corbett elementary schools. It was here that she met her husband Roy Larson, of Duluth, MN, who had also tired of the cold northern winters and had settled in Tucson.

Carol loved teaching and always had a passion for music and reading. Her love of reading led her to volunteer in school libraries for many years after her teaching career. One would seldom see Carol without a stack of books or on her way to the library to replenish her supply.

Carol and Roy were both active in the church and always loved singing in the choirs. As an early member of Calvary Lutheran Church, she taught Sunday School and loved leading the children’s music programs. Later, as members of the choir at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, they had the wonderful opportunity to travel on music mission tours to many distant locations, including Sweden and Norway, where they were also able to visit and explore both of their ancestral roots.

Carol loved her family and her many wonderful friends. With love and a great deal of patience, Carol helped raise their two boys, providing encouragement and assisting with swim teams, boy scouts and many other school and church activities. She also enjoyed her bridge and book clubs. She was always looking forward to the next opportunity to entertain friends or to host a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner reunion with her children and grandchildren.

She is survived by her husband of 55 years and her two sons; Paul Larson, his wife Deborah and grandchildren, Brian and Danny of Rocklin, CA; and Peter Larson, his wife Debra and grandchildren Michael and Allison of Foothill Ranch, CA; and her brother Donald Landberg (Dianne) of Bend, OR.

She was preceded in death by her parents, and her sisters Doris Northington of Nashville, TN (1999) and Lois Thies of Madison, WI (2010).

A “Celebration of Life” will be held at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, 1200 North Campbell Ave., 85719, on Friday, August 26, 2011 at 11:00 AM. Memorial gifts may be made to Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church or the Pima County Library Foundation.